1970s: My childhood sweetheart ran away, and I turned around and married the wildest chief.

After much thought, I decided to let the Lu family manage it.

Whether it's the Qiao family or the Xu family, they don't need her to promote them. The Qiao family has a small population but many capable members. There are also her grandparents and uncles who are from more distant branches. They won't be grateful to her, a girl who has already married out. She doesn't have any large businesses right now, so the people on the Qiao family side don't even look at her.

The Xu family is the same. With her maternal grandparents and uncle, the Xu family doesn't need her help at all. She can bring a group of people over to the big project. Right now, she mainly needs someone to look after the house, and this small job is most suitable for the Lu family, which is just starting out.

In the future, she will need to leverage Lu Mingzhou's influence. No matter how powerful her maternal family is, they are still just her maternal family. In particular, the powerful one in the Qiao family is her uncle, not her father. If Lu Mingzhou's career can develop steadily, then her uncle's family might look at her more favorably in the future. If Lu Mingzhou's career fails, then her relationship with her uncle's family will either become more and more distant, or she will have to find another way to break through.

My uncle's generation may still value family ties, but what about the next generation? What about my cousins? And the generation after that?

Those have all become collateral branches. Without matching strength, how much kinship can there be left?

Therefore, the Lu family cannot fall too far behind. If only she and Lu Mingzhou are doing well in the Lu family, and the people from their hometown are not doing well in the future, they might come looking for Lu Mingzhou and even set their sights on her businesses.

It would be better to find an opportunity now to let them become self-reliant!

She needs to accumulate capital quickly right now, at least in terms of visible capital.

Having figured all this out, Qiao Wanqing made a phone call to the Lu family's hometown, still looking for Miao Cuiying.

Miao Cuiying was at work when she received a call from Qiao Wanqing, "Hey, Wan! How are you adjusting to life in Beijing?"

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "I'm getting used to it. The houses here are even bigger than those in Beichuan. My uncle's family lives in the same compound, so it will be much easier to see each other in the future."

Miao Cuiying was also happy. Her daughter-in-law's uncle was no ordinary man. Now that they lived in the same residential compound, they would have more contact and their relationship would be better. With such a capable elder taking care of her, wouldn't her son's career be better?

Miao Cuiying suppressed her excitement, "That's good. With your uncle taking care of you, I can rest assured. There are so many children in the family, so you have to be careful. When the triplets get a little older, they'll be running around everywhere. If you can't manage them then, tell me as soon as possible, and I'll figure something out for you."

"Thank you, Mom!"

Qiao Wanqing chatted with her for a while, and then the topic of housing came up. "Mom, I bought a courtyard house in Beijing. There are four rooms in the back that are shops facing the street. I definitely won't have time to go there to do business. Have you ever thought about starting a small business, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law? The country is very supportive of the development of individual businesses now. There are already quite a few small vendors in Beijing. If Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law come here, they will definitely earn more than they do back in our hometown."

"Moreover, houses in Beijing are not too expensive now. If my second brother and sister-in-law come to work here for a year or two and want to stay, they can buy their own houses and register their household here. Their children can also study here in the future. The educational resources in Beijing are definitely better than in our hometown. Locals get preferential treatment, and their children are more likely to get into university."

Miao Cuiying was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Qiao Wanqing to send her second son and his wife over. Her second son wasn't very bright, although he had improved a lot in recent years, but he was still much slower to react than normal people. She thought it would be better for someone like him to stay in his hometown, where his parents could protect him. Wouldn't Qiao Wanqing feel ashamed if he went to the capital?

Qiao Wanqing had another purpose in inviting these two people. Anyone could look at houses, but Lu's second son was different. He had suffered a brain injury. When she and Lu Mingzhou went back to their hometown, she found that the second son was really good, very capable, and very good to his wife and children.

This shows that the person is actually quite good, just a little lacking in intelligence.

She had secretly used some spiritual spring water on him, but not much. Firstly, she didn't know if it would work, and secondly, she was worried that if it did, it would be too obvious and cause trouble. His condition was different from Lu Mingqian's. She could really heal Lu Mingqian's injury, and the spiritual spring water was just an aid.

But the second child's injury was different; she could only alleviate it.

She only stayed in her hometown for a little over a month before returning to Beichuan, so naturally she never had the chance to use the spiritual spring water for her second brother again.

Miao Cuiying had visited Beichuan in recent years and had told her more than once that her second brother's condition seemed to have improved a lot. They had not given up over the years and had been looking for doctors to treat her second brother. Judging from Miao Cuiying's tone, they probably thought that the doctors they found later were helpful and that the treatment had relieved his symptoms.

Qiao Wanqing guessed that perhaps the spiritual spring water really worked. She would bring her second brother to the capital and give him some more water. At the same time, she would find an opportunity to go to a big hospital to see a doctor and ask her grandparents about those skilled traditional Chinese medicine doctors. In this way, she might be able to fool them and make her second brother more like a normal person.

Actually, the Lu family is quite well-off, and they don't necessarily have to stay in Beijing in the future. There aren't many people who can do well in their hometown and are willing to leave their hometown. Lu Mingqian's in-laws are doing very well in the city, so it would be good for the second son to settle down in the city in the future.

And then there's Grandpa Lu, that big fat sheep. He really hopes Lu Mingzhou can help out the people from his hometown. She has to do something to give the old man hope, right?

That way, when she needs to work on a big project later, she can go back to her hometown, ask her father for some money, and see how much he can come up with!

I'm kind of looking forward to it!

Miao Cuiying suppressed her thoughts and tried to keep her voice calm, "Wanwan, really? You're asking your second brother to go over?"

Qiao Wanqing could roughly guess what Miao Cuiying was thinking, and answered patiently, "Mom, I'm serious. Actually, I want my second brother to come over, not mainly because I'm considering their future development. After all, Beijing is a place you're unfamiliar with. You're used to living in your hometown. Mingqian is still in the city. Actually, it wouldn't be bad for my second brother to settle down in the city in the future, so that he'll be closer to our hometown."

"Actually, I mainly wanted my second brother to come over. I'll try to find a big hospital here to see if we can get him checked out again, even if it's just to alleviate his condition. You told me before that you haven't given up on his treatment all these years and have been looking for doctors to treat him. His condition has improved a lot, and I've always kept that in mind! My maternal grandfather and my paternal grandparents still know quite a few of the old doctors from before. Some of them we had lost contact with, but now they've all come back one by one!"

Miao Cuiying's hands trembled with excitement. "Really? You can really find a doctor?"

Qiao Wanqing said, "Yes, it's possible, but I'm not sure if it can cure Second Brother."

"Whether it can be cured or not, we are willing to try. Wanwan, thank you. Mom is really grateful to you. I will go and have your second brother and the others pack their luggage. Don't worry, since they have houses now, they can live on their own in Beijing and be self-reliant. They won't bother you. I will go with them to keep an eye on them and come back after I have settled them in."

For Miao Cuiying, her son's condition was a lifelong worry, and she would do anything to cure him.

"Okay, just bring some clothes and shoes. It would be best if you came next week. I just arrived here and I need to get together with my grandparents and uncles. There are some things I need to ask them before I can get an answer. I just got the house and I still need to buy furniture, pots and pans, etc. So you can move in right away when you come. It will take at least three to five days."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say. I'll buy the tickets for next Friday, and I'll call you once I get them."

Miao Cuiying tried to buy tickets for later next week to give Qiao Wanqing more time. Qiao Wanqing had only been in the capital for a few days and needed time to handle her own affairs. If she rushed over with her people immediately, and the other side was not prepared, would Qiao Wanqing misunderstand that they were urging her?

Miao Cuiying was actually a little cautious in her treatment of this daughter-in-law. The Lu family had benefited from the marriage between the two families. As long as she and her son could live well together, Miao Cuiying would never cause trouble for Qiao Wanqing. She would try her best to minimize her presence.

After agreeing on a time, Qiao Wanqing hung up the phone. After thinking for a moment, she made two more calls, inviting Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu out for dinner. Both of them were studying at universities in Beijing and had not yet graduated.

The date is set for tomorrow at noon; we'll be having roast duck.

The next morning, as Qiao Wanqing was about to leave, she received a letter and a money order.

Upon opening it, I found it was sent by the publishing house; it was the adventure story she had written last time, which her father had taken to help publish.

This was the second time she had received a remittance slip. The first time it was for 10,000 yuan, and this time it was doubled to 20,000 yuan.

Qiao Wanqing curled the corners of her lips. Not bad!

At that time, most people were paid by word count, but if you had the means, you could negotiate a revenue share. In 1981, there were very few private publishing houses, but they did exist. This time, Qiao Wanqing's book was published in Shanghai by a publishing house run by my father's old friend.

It cost two yuan a copy. The first print run was 50,000 copies. I paid her royalties at a rate of 10%. Sales were pretty good. This time, the print run doubled. The letter was urging her to start writing the second book as soon as possible.

Qiao Wanqing was in a good mood and took Qi Ya and the twins to see Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu.

How could one visit the capital without trying the famous Peking duck? When Qiao Wanqing arrived, Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu were already waiting at the door. Upon seeing Qiao Wanqing, Lu Mingyue waved excitedly.

"Sister-in-law, over here!"

The two women came forward and immediately took the baby from Qiao Wanqing and Qi Ya. Lu Mingyue gave little Qiao Anning a big kiss on the cheek.

"Aww, Ningning, do you miss me? Quickly call me Auntie!"

Little Qiao Anning was a bit confused, not remembering the person in front of her at all, which made Lu Mingyue so angry that she pounded her chest and stomped her feet.

"Oh dear, it's only been a year, and you don't recognize your aunt anymore? I should have come to see you during winter break. Last summer, I even took you to sleep in my arms, don't you remember?"

For the past few years, Lu Mingyue would visit Qiao Wanqing during her summer vacations, helping to take care of the children and then going back to her hometown to visit. She did this almost every summer.

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

She had already booked a private room, and once everyone had arrived, Qiao Wanqing led them directly to the private room. However, to their surprise, they saw Qiao Wanyan in the lobby.

Upon seeing the young man beside Qiao Wanyan, Qiao Wanqing raised an eyebrow. Could this be Zhang Yu, Qiao Wanyan's boyfriend?

"Sister, what are you doing here?" Qiao Wanyan greeted her cousin as soon as she saw her.

Qiao Wanqing smiled and said, "These two are your brother-in-law's younger brother and sister. They've been studying in the capital. I came here to invite them out for a meal. You... are you here for a meal too?"

With a sweet smile on her face, Qiao Wanyan replied, "Yes! I wanted to eat roast duck, so Zhang Yu specially brought me out to eat it. I didn't expect to run into you guys here."

Qiao Wanyan pulled Zhang Yu over and introduced him to Qiao Wanqing, "Sister, this is Zhang Yu, my boyfriend."

"Zhang Yu, this is my cousin."

Zhang Yu stared at Qiao Wanqing for several seconds before remembering to greet her, "Hello, sister, I'm Zhang Yu."

Qiao Wanqing sized up the young man in front of her. To be honest, he really had the qualities to be a kept man. Although Qiao Wanyan's mind wasn't very clear, her eyes seemed to be fine. She hadn't chosen someone who was both poor and ugly.

Zhang Yu is about 1.8 meters tall. His face fits the current aesthetic standards: a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a tall and straight figure, and good-looking features. He is definitely a handsome guy.

It's not surprising that Qiao Wanyan would fall for a man who showers her with sweet words all day long.

For someone from the South to grow this tall in this day and age is quite remarkable!

"Hi, since we've run into each other, why don't we go together?"

Qiao Wanyan thought about it and agreed. She felt that her cousin had a good relationship with her and was very supportive of her. She hoped that Zhang Yu could get past her cousin's hurdle. If her cousin could accept Zhang Yu, it wouldn't be difficult to persuade her parents next.

The group entered the private room. Qiao Wanqing ordered five ducks. They ate three, and packed the other two to take home. They also ordered two servings of duck bone soup. The rest was left for everyone to order. The group added a few more dishes and then started chatting.

However, Qiao Wanqing's main chat partners were Lu Mingyue and Lu Mingyu. Zhang Yu originally thought that his cousin would interrogate him and was even thinking about how to deal with her. Unexpectedly, the focus of the conversation was not on him at all, and the other party did not seem to be very interested in him.

Qiao Wanyan was also a little surprised. She thought her cousin would ask a lot of questions and inquire about everything about Zhang Yu. She didn't expect her to be so casual about it.

"Have you decided which department you want to join? You're graduating soon, one of the first batch of college graduates, so there should be many job opportunities. What are your thoughts? While there's still time, I'll go back and talk to your elders at home for their advice," Qiao Wanqing asked Lu Mingyu.

Lu Mingyu was still looking forward to the job he was about to take, but he hesitated when asked where he would be going.

"I...haven't decided yet."

Lu Mingyue rolled her eyes. "You want to go back to his hometown with him and become a live-in son-in-law, don't you?"